The Tale of Team Free Will
by thediaryofwritersblock
Summary: The Tale of the Tree Brothers from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows but as Team Free Will. No pairings, just croatoans, Death, and a little bit of angst ridden Dean. My first fic so please be kind.
1. Chapter 1

Team Free Will

(A tale of three brother's story)

Dean, Sam, and Cas were leading the survivors of the Croatoan virus to safety. They had as many people as possible stacked into the impala and following behind as possible and were racing out of the town. They stopped when they came to the river. It had over filled its banks and risen over the small bridge that led into the town. "Sammy, Cas!" Dean barked, putting the car in neutral. "Get out and help me push her!" All three hastily exited the car, although Sam and Castiel were perplexed at what Dean could be doing. "We're going to use baby to make a bridge over the water." Dean snapped by way of explanation, emptying the trunk of the impala as he did so. Sam and Cas were shaken by Dean's willingness to give up the impala, but quickly moved to help.

Once the trunk was empty, the three of them, aided by some of the townspeople, shoved the impala into the rapids. The hood of the car barely peeked out of the water but it was enough, and Sam, Dean, and Castiel started herding people across. Once all of the town's people were across, the three of them saw the croatoan infected catching up to them and scampered towards the opposite shore as well. However, once all three reached the hood of the impala, they were stopped by a familiar emaciated figure.

"What do you want, Death. We're kinda in a hurry here." Dean growled. The power behind it lost when he glanced over his shoulder.

"Dean. You shouldn't be rude to one bearing gifts." Death replied coolly. "I can guarantee that the croatoan's won't be moving again until you have all made your choices."

"What gifts?" Dean asked, eyeing the reaper suspiciously.

"Dean!" Sam chastised his brother.

"What?" Dean shot back. "Gifts from him? They always have strings attached."

"I can assure you Dean, I give these as gifts. You have nothing that I want."

"Except my soul." Dean snapped.

"Don't be foolish, I'll reap your soul no matter what." Death stated. Dean still wasn't convinced.

"Dean." Castiel piped up. "Death is powerful. It would be foolish to not accept his kindness." Dean hesitated for a moment before relenting. Sam snorted, an mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, Dean. So about these gifts…"

"Yes. You each get to ask me for one thing. Anything." Death replied simply.

"Anything we want?" Dean asked, skepticism leaking into every word.

"Yes, anything, Dean." Death drawled. Castiel was the first to ask.

"I would like the power to defeat Metatron, and take back heaven." Death pulled a knife out of his coat and handed it to Castiel.

"That knife will kill an angel, for good. None of your angel blades can do that." Death smiled thinly and waved Cas past him. Castiel thanked Death and moved on to the other side of the river. The next to speak up was Sam.

"I would like something to bring the dead back to life."

"Wish to make a fool of me do you?"

"No! No, I just…" Death silenced Sam with the wave of his hand and produced a small stone from his coat.

"Here. Turn this stone over three times, and your lost will return to you." Death smiled that same tight smile.

"Thanks." Sam breathed. "Thank you so much." Sam dipped his head slightly and hurried past Death onto the opposite shore, cradling the stone in his palms. Dean watched and his heart broke for his brother, because he knew that there was no way Sam's gift would work out well for him. Dean thought for a while longer before he found what to ask for.

"I want something that will let me avoid you for as long as I can. No impromptu visits before I am good and ready." He punctuated the last few words with a finger in Death's chest. Reluctantly, Death took off his coat and handed it over to Dean.

"Wear this," he stated, "and it will turn you invisible." There was no smile this time. Dean squinted at him but thanked him anyway and carried on to the opposite bank of the river.

Once he was across, he laid the coat down quickly and helped the others pull the Impala out of the river. She was waterlogged but still drivable, and they managed to get her out just before the croatoans made it to the river. They all jumped into the water only to be swept downstream and into the ocean.

"Okay, we're safe for now but we need to get to shelter!" Dean called as he picked up Death's coat and put it next to him in the Impala. The small children were loaded into the impala and the adults marched determinedly behind.

When the people were settled in to the next town over, Dean, Sam, and Castiel all clamored into the impala and drove on. The next time they stopped was at a motel in Springfield. Dean flopped on the bed and immediately fell asleep. When he woke up, it was to Sam and Cas packing their things. "Where are you guys going?"

"Dean, we… we decided to go our separate ways." Sam replied hesitantly.

"What? Without even telling me first?"

"We're telling you now Dean. Cas' going to face Metatron…"

"Whoa, whoa, wait. You're going to take on Metatron without me? Without anyone?" Dean asked, turning to face Cas. Castiel held his gaze.

"I have Death's knife now Dean. I can do this. I am doing this alone to keep you safe. I have millennia of combat training at my disposal Dean, and Metatron has none. He will not trick me again." Cas was confident. Sam cut in again.

"And I'm… I'm going back Dean. I'm getting Madison back." Dean looked at Sam for a long moment. His mouth was slightly open. He looked down and scratched the stubble on his face, and when he looked back up his eyes were desperately trying to contain the tears that were threatening to spill.

"Well, okay."

"Okay?" Sam was expecting more of a fight.

"Yeah, okay. You always wanted out. And with a gift from Death himself you just might make it." Dean was lying, he knew it, but the hope in Sam's face, and he just could bear to break it. He watched silently as the two of them said their goodbyes and stood slowly to demand a hug from them both before they left. He held on tight for the few seconds he was allowed. When he pulled back he looked both of them square in the face. "And if you ever, ever need anything, do not hesitate to call me. Okay?"

"Yeah, Dean. We will." Sam spoke for both of them. When they left, Dean finally broke down and cried.


	2. Chapter 2

Castiel made his way to an abandoned warehouse a few towns over. He called out, "Metatron, you assbut, get down here." He heard a flutter of wings, and a honeyed voice behind him.

"Oh dear Castiel, I didn't expect for you to call on me! If I did I would have…" His words were cut off but the serrated edge of a knife being plunged up through his jaw and into his cranium. A clap of thunder rang throughout the building and a shockwave sent Cas spinning into the back wall. A light brighter and hotter than lightning filled the cavernous space and Castiel feared his eyes would be melted from their sockets regardless of if they were closed or not. When the glow finally faded, all that was left was Death's knife, a small pile of ash, and scorched onto the floor was the imprint of six gigantic wings.

Castiel tread lightly and bent to pick up the knife. "Goodbye, brother." He intoned, straightening and turning to leave that place behind him.

When Castiel went outside he looked up at the sun that was mocking him; not nearly as bright as his brother in his death throws, but vastly more important to the world around him. What Cas found even more horribly ironic was that that day was a Thursday, the day he used to govern along with Metatron.

Castiel had killed many of his brothers, many more had died, and Metatron cast the rest from heaven. However, Castiel did not, could not, anticipate the pang he felt as Metatron's swan song played. He looked down at the knife and realized that pang was caused by the true death of an angel. Not the expulsion to the other side of the universe that constitutes death for an angel, but true death, nothingness. Nothing awaits an angel in death, because they were never meant to die. There is a hole in the universe, and Castiel feels it most keenly.

Still he soldiers on. There is work to be done to get the rest of his siblings back to heaven.

Cas travels the world to find his siblings. Kevin found a part of the angel tablet that restores their grace to them. One by one his siblings take trials and pass, returning to heaven as its hosts. Castiel himself, however, chooses to remain human. Metatron's death scared him. Castiel wanted the insurance of an afterlife, especially with the knife in his possession.

However, there are downsides to being human. Pride and the ability to get drunk easily are two. "So, I got this knife right?" Cas slurs, waiving around the knife in question. "See? It can kill angels, like, forever." He hiccups.

Later on that night, he staggers back to his motel room. Forgoing a shower in favor of sleep, he drops the knife on his nightstand and falls onto his bed and into a blissful, drunken coma.

Silently as a shadow, a figure slips into the room. Shining black eyes cold as she surveys the former angel sprawled out on the bed. Sliding over next to the bed, she takes Death's knife and for good measure, slits Castiel's throat. Leaving triumphantly, flipping the knife and tucking it into her belt. (It should be mentioned that she dies a week later. The knife is taken, and taken again, each time leaving the corpse of its previous owner until it finally finds its way into storage. There it will remain until the storage house it is currently in burns down in 48,594 C.E. and it is the only thing that remains intact.)

Castiel woke to find himself in the booth of a small diner. "Care to have some before you go? I hear the chicken and waffles served here are the best." Death motioned to the stocked plates in front of Cas and himself, then continues with his meal.

"What am I doing here?"

"Final meal." Death drawls, taking another bite of his syrup covered chicken.

"Final… meal?" and then the penny drops. "I'm dead." Death nods approvingly.

"Very good Castiel, you are dead. However, you are also human, and in your time as human you have done some rather wonderful things. So, I hope you enjoy your little slice of heaven." Death smiled slightly, a genuine one this time. "It's time for you to rest, Castiel, your work is over." Death places two fingers on Castiel's forehead and when Cas looks up again he is in a field. Behind him is Bobby's house and beside him a very familiar '67 Chevy Impala. He stretches out his jet black wings luxuriously but sends a prayer out to anyone listening.

"Don't let them get here too soon."

Dean reads in the newspaper about a mysterious stranger who blew into a small town and was killed later that night. The reason? Well, it was expected that it was over the stranger's prized knife that was taken from his room. "The man claimed it could kill angels!" One bar patron told him.

Dean flashed his fake FBI badge at the motel and walked in to see the familiar form of Cas, his Cas, sprawled out on the bed. Barely managing to keep his composure, Dean gently removes Cas' trench coat and places it inside of Death's. He swings Death's coat over his shoulders, and leaves the scene with the officers wondering where he went.

And so, Death claimed the first member of Team Free Will.


End file.
